Independence Day

As people, we don’t have one day of suddenly becoming independent. We have independence moments – a college graduation, when you learn to fix the dishwasher yourself, when you organize a business loan... those moments are worth celebrating!

Of course independence means something different to each person. No one is truly independent, ‘no man is an island’. I always think of humans as a pack animal. We need other people around us, people we can rely on, people who rely on us; family, friends, work mates.


A 50 year old woman I read for recently lamented that since her grandparents death, she has no one to go home to, no one to give her shelter from the storm and allow her time to regroup.

A lot of the people in their mid twenties who come to me are also struggling with what does independence look like for them, some thought they would be further ahead than they are now, some still want to stay home.


A sense of independence comes when we find we can do certain things on our own, and carry certain burdens for those we love, and feel a sense of competence in the world. And that’s worth some fireworks!

Adding light to your life

I'm forever telling people to light candles. Lighting a candle is an ancient ritual and helps create a sacred space...

Well here is a beautiful idea - 365 candles, each inscribed with an inspirational word.

I'm far more likely to use one a week, so this will keep me going for years! :)



Now that I've had some time to think about it, I've decided on these candles - I will burn one a month till it goes, and then find the charm on the bottom of the candle... what could be more charming?

Steering through a tarot reading

Sometimes readings go in themes. I had two readings in a row the other week where three quarters way through the reading, the person confessed that they had been to a different tarot reader the week before (I know, it’s my fault, making people wait so long to see me!) But I wasn’t annoyed, instead I said, well, were the cards the same or different?


One, a man, said that both of us had given the exact same outcome, though my cold reading was better. Seeing that the outcome was that he should stop dating women and let himself recover from a broken relationship, he agreed that he indeed would stop torturing himself and those poor women and only hang with friends till the end of the summer.


The other, a woman, told me that both I and the other reader had told her that her ex, would not come back to her (she then told me that he had since moved in with another woman) But she didn’t see why that couldn’t happen and wanted to wait…


We are all the captains of our ship, and if we have our heart set on one direction, a tarot reading can warn of rocks ahead, but we can’t change the course, only you can…

Lots of 7’s

In case you’ve just dropped into the blog, earlier I went through each individual card (you can look them up by typing the card name in the top left hand corner next to the B - or just starting at the very beginning of the blog and wandering through) Now that I’ve gone through the suits, I am going through the numbers. What does it mean if you draw lots of sevens in your reading?


Seven links with the Chariot in the Major Arcana, a card of will power and drive.


Seven is a powerful number in our lives, forever linked with the seven days of the week and the famous phrase ‘on the seventh day God rested’ – meaning seven is a natural number of stopping and thinking, work and evaluation, introspection and contemplation.


In tarot, the 7 of pentacles is literally thinking about the fruits of your labor, the 7 of cups is having too much choice, not knowing what to think, the 7 of swords is betrayal, someone stealing your capacity to think, and the 7 of wands is the struggle to find your voice, to defend your thoughts to the world. If you draw many 7’s in a reading, the cards are telling you to stop, watch your choices, think very clearly about the matters at hand.



I can't always credit the images, I don't always know where they came from but when I do know, I always try to acknowledge the artist.
The image of the Chariot is by Joe Bandel
The beautiful cloud photo was taken by Angela Craggs
And the lovely last image is by Michael Devine
I don't know where the first image came from, if you do, please let me know...

How to use this blog

Every so often, as more new people come to my blog, I want to retell how and why it was created. My intention was to go through every single card in the tarot, all 78 of them, and give my spin on them. It took me two years and earlier this year I had finally completed it! I’m very happy with the images I’ve collected and the stories I’ve told. If you want to find a particular card, just type in its name in the top left hand box on this page, and it will turn up!

After you do a reading with me, I often send links to the cards that appeared in your reading, to help remind you and give you a chance to look at them again. What I say to you in your reading is often more personal and idiosyncratic than the general interpretations in the blog, but hopefully they help remind you of our discussion.


It’s also my chance to show people that I am serious and educated in the tarot. Our readings often have laughter in them, but the underlying intention is to use the tarot to see where you are putting your energy, and see if it is giving you the results that you want. That’s the entire hour reading in a nutshell.


I have very few bookings left in July and am starting to book in August right now. I love reading the tarot, because I meet people and talk to them about what is important to them, and we help each other see things in a new way.

Lots of 6’s

What does it mean if you draw many 6's in your reading?


After the struggles of the 5’s, harmony and equilibrium is restored with the 6’s. If your reading has many 6’s it means insight and solutions to problems. 6 of wands is victory itself, 6 of cups is nostalgia/ gifts from childhood, 6 of swords is moving on (with sorrow, but still, it’s better than being stuck!) and 6 of pentacles is an attempt to balance inequity. (which is actually a very nice reading of it, I usually see it as something harsher)



As the 6 connects to the Lovers card, it’s easy to see that a choice is made, a balance is found. So lots of 6’s are a welcome energy, showing that good things are coming ones way, and struggles are receding.

Tattoos

Whenever I read for someone with a tattoo, I always ask them what it means for them. I’m fascinated by tattoos, by the idea of putting something indelibly on your flesh and carrying it for the rest of your life.


One of the waiters at Kitchenette, a charming restaurant where I often do readings, had the 3 of swords tattooed on his arm, (I should have photographed it at the time!) and I said to him that’s a hard card to carry and he said it reminded him of a hard lesson and a mistake he won’t make again. Sometimes a way to let the pain go is to honor it… Personally I would rather have the Empress on my arm!

So I was thinking what would I get tattooed? I often think of getting ‘in the end, only kindness matters’ on the nape of my neck.

What would you get tattooed?

While looking for the best images, I came across
tattoosday, - lots of great images and stories there, and Check out my ink - less stories, but more images. (I like the ones with stories best)